


Darkness

by handelgamer



Series: Shaded - XIVWrite2019 [30]
Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Backstory, F/M, Fluff, Kid Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-01
Updated: 2019-10-01
Packaged: 2020-11-08 18:41:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 894
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20840204
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/handelgamer/pseuds/handelgamer
Summary: There are some sights that can only be seen at night and Mariko is about to bring Syngigeim to one.





	Darkness

“Hey! Hey!” Mariko said, whispering to Syngigeim, gently shoving her awake.

She moaned and pulled up her covers. “Mmm, Mariko it’s nighttime. Let’s sleep.”

“Syngi! Syngi! Come on! I got something to show you! But be quiet.” He said, shoving her a bit more insistently. She finally turned to face him and shoved her covers to the side, yawning.

“What’s this?” She said sleepily.

“Come on, get dressed! There’s a place I want to show you! Oh wait!” He dashed outside of the room, leaving her time to get changed. A few moments later she exited, bleary-eyed and tired. He took her hand and sneaking out of the house.

“Are we going outside? But it’s late! Who knows what’s outside at this time?” Syngigeim asked.

“Don’t worry. Just stay with me. Oh and-” He quickly pushed a knife in her hands.

“This isn’t encouraging, Mariko.”

“It’s a just-in-case measure. Trust me, we’ll be fine.”

“‘We’ll be fine’ you said! ‘Nothing to worry about!’” Syngigeim said, panting and out of breath. The two where hiding in an alley after dodging Brass Blades wondering what the heck two kids were doing awake at an ungodly time of the night.

“We...are almost there...at least. Would take...more effort to go back now,” Mariko said. He pointed to a building with stairs running along the outside. “Evidently, this person...thought it would be better his building would have an easy way to escape in case of a fire.” He crawled under the PRIVATE PROPERTY sign, waving Syngigeim over.

“...why are we doing this again?”

Mariko did want to leave this as a surprise but they were close enough anyway to tell. “Because the view up there is spectacular at night.” He waved at her, encouragingly. Carefully, she decided to also crawl under the sign, with it scraping up against her back. Mariko was grinning, helping to pull her up. He could race up these stairs, if they didn’t needed to be quiet. And so they carefully walked up, keeping their footsteps as quiet as possible. And very soon, they reached it. The top of the building. He pointed straight up to the sky.

Above them lay the night, with stars glittering ever high above them. The moon shone in full, brilliant and bright. “Sometimes, when I can’t sleep, I make my way up here and just look up.” He smiled.

“You know, this is the third hiding spot you’ve shown me. First there was that secluded alcove, and then there was that secret room in your home, and now this.” She gestured to the rooftop.

He shrugged and smiled. “What can I say other than I like exploring places? I know every nook and cranny I can get into that isn’t guarded by Sultansworn! Or homes. Or temples. Every outdoors part of Ul’dah, I have seen.” Syngigeim giggled at that softly.

For a moment, they watched the stars and the moon dance around the sky in quiet. “They say that that streak of stars and light in the sky is a trail where all souls dance in the end.”  Syngigeim said.

“Isn’t Naldthal supposed to judge our souls, so we can know whether we go to a hell or a heaven that most describes us?”  Mariko asked.

“Yes but, what if your friend is in another heaven? Couldn’t you visit them?” 

“Hmm. I’d bet they’d keep a close eye. Otherwise people might want to stage daring rescues for their friends and family trapped within the Hells.”

“I would think if they would even dream of such a scheme, they would already be in the hells with them.” 

Mariko was quiet for a bit. No, surely Syngigeim would be in a heaven, safe and secure. He would be in the hells, for what he sometimes thought of. What he really wished he could do. “Would you save me, if I was in a hell?”

Syngigeim closed her eyes and had a pain ed expression on her face. “I don’t know what I could do. Maybe by the time we’re dead, I’ll be stronger and smarter. I bet by then I might have a plan to save you.  Yeah.” She said, turning to look at him and nodding. “Yeah, I bet I can save you then. But you have to promise me something.”

“Oh anything!” Mariko said.

“Save me too, if I’m in hell. Alright. We save each other.” She knelt down and extended her pinkey finger. “Promise?”

“Promise,” he answered, hooking his tiny finger around her larger one. “From burning fires to icy domains. High winds and dark caverns.  Through thunderous storms and choppy seas.  I’ll find you, you find me.”

“To the ends of the world.” She nodded and let go of his hand. Turning to look at the stars, she said, “We really should get back to bed. I’m getting a bit tired and cold.”

He just looked at her. He wanted to remember this specific image forever. Syngigeim catching one last glimpse stars. Her form bathed in beautiful moonlight. The very image of Mephina herself.

If he was in love before, he felt spellbound now. Bewitched by her brilliance. 

“Mariko?” She asked  and it sounded melodious.

“Hmm?” He said, not quite registering

“Going home before we get caught?” She asked.

“Oh yeah! Come on, let’s go,” he said, being her guide within the shadows.

**Author's Note:**

> I see that Mariko is living well under the "Be Gay. Do Crimes." life, as a bi-dude. Disrespect for personal property to show the gal you love the sights sounds like one.
> 
> What a way to end this challenge. And such a sweet finale too.


End file.
